The legislation is aimed at changing the face of notorious red light districts like Pigalle where the streets are lined with scantily-clad hookers

Oo la la: But this lady in a French maid's outfit might face arrest if she wandered out onto the streets of Paris (Photo: Getty)

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Women in skimpy outfits and high heels could be arrested under new French laws that make it illegal to simply 'look like a prostitute' in public.

France is set to bring in a tough new anti-vice law that makes ‘passive soliciting’ by appearing to be offering sex for sale illegal.

The legislation is aimed at changing the face of notorious red light districts like Pigalle and the Rue St Denis in Paris, where the streets are lined with scantily-clad hookers.

It is expected that prostitutes will be forced to wear casual clothing like jeans and trainers to get around the rules.

The law will be enshrined in Article 225 of the penal code, which will outlaw ‘the act of publicly soliciting another person for paid sex, by any means, including passive behaviour’.

But French sex workers’ union Strass described the law as ‘a huge step backwards’.

Spokesman Chloe Navarro said: “It is making criminals of women for how they dress, and victimising prostitutes for doing their job and aggravating their working conditions.”

But the anti-prostitution group Mouvement du Nid believed the law did not go far enough, and that the clients of prostitutes should also face arrest for seeking to buy sex.

But lawmakers in France’s upper house the Senate, who will vote on the law next week, decided not to penalise people for buying sex, only for selling it in public.

Allo Allo: Some of the classic sitcom's female stars would probably be arrested under the proposed legislation

Under current French laws, it is legal to ‘seek or offer money for sexual services’ as long as it is done without advertising.

Only soliciting and pimping - living off the earnings of a prostitute - are criminal offences.

Two years ago, right-wing MP Chantal Brunel launched her own campaign to legalise brothels in France.

She told parliament: “Women selling sex should be allowed to do so legally on special licensed premises.

“It would give them a legal taxable income and they would not be handing over large sums of their earning to a pimp.”

A recent survey found there were more than 20,000 prostitutes working in France, and that six out of ten French men AND women wanted brothels to be legalised.

France had 1,400 legal brothels before they were all banned in 1946.

In Britain, prostitution and paying for sex are legal if the girl is over 18 and not acting under duress. But related activities including soliciting, kerb crawling, keeping a brothel and pimping are all outlawed.

Brothels are still legal in Germany, Holland and Switzerland, and tolerated in Spain.

In Europe, only Sweden and Norway have made it illegal to pay for sex.